This invention relates to a method for quantification of biological material in a sample.
Many industries need to detect and quantify the concentration and level of biological material in a sample. For example, the determination of bacterial concentration in food and water is an essential part of food and water quality testing. EPA regulations require that no Coliform such as Escherichia coli can be present in potable water. The xe2x80x9cpresence/absencexe2x80x9d format of a testing medium, such as Colilert(copyright) chemical mixture (IDEXX Laboratories, ME) which is used as a testing medium for Escherichia coli and all coliform bacteria, is very useful in making this determination. Colilert(copyright) chemical mixture is based on the Defined Substrate Technology described in Edberg, xe2x80x9cMethod and Medium for use in Detecting Target Microbes In Situ in A Specimen Sample of A Possibly Contaminated Material,xe2x80x9d U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,925,789 and 5,492,933. See also, Townsend et al., U.S. Ser. No. 08/484,593 filed Jun. 7, 1995 entitled, xe2x80x9cMethod and Composition for Detecting Bacterial Contamination in Food Productsxe2x80x9d, hereby incorporated by reference herein, describes a medium for the detection of bacteria in food and water samples.
However, there are areas where the quantification, not just the detection, of bacterial concentration is important. Examples of such areas include waste water, incoming water in water purification systems, surface water, and food testing. For example, numerous restaurant chains will only accept raw ground beef or poultry that contains less than a certain concentration of bacterial contamination. Therefore, food processing plants must carry out the necessary microbiological tests to determine the bacterial concentration of these food items before they can be released to customers.
The classical methods of quantification of biological material are the standard plate count method or the multiple tube fermentation (MTF) method. A quantity of sample being tested for microbial contamination is first dispensed in a Petri dish. Then 15 ml of the appropriate media is poured over the sample. The Petri-dish is then swirled to mix the sample in the medium and the Petri-dish is left to solidify at room temperature for approximately 20 minutes. The medium is then incubated at a specific temperature for a specific time, and any resulting colonies are counted.
The multiple tube fermentation method is described in Recles et al., xe2x80x9cMost Probable Number Techniquesxe2x80x9d published in xe2x80x9cCompendium of Methods for the Microbiological Examination of Foodsxe2x80x9d, 3rd ed. 1992, at pages 105-199, and in Greenberg et al., xe2x80x9cStandard Methods For the Examination of Water and Wastewaterxe2x80x9d 8th ed. 1992). In this method, a volume of sample is dispensed into several tubes representing this dilution range. The tubes are then incubated at the appropriate temperature so that the bacteria in each tube are allowed to grow. After incubation at a specific temperature for a specific time, the number of positive tubes is counted. The most probable number can be determined from the formula described in Recles et al., supra.
Water testing is mostly done by membrane filtration, where a certain volume of water is passed through the membrane and the membrane is incubated in a medium for a certain period of time. After appropriate incubation, the colonies are counted.
The present invention provides a simple method for more accurate quantification of the number of microorganism in a sample, or for quantification of any other type of discrete particulate biological material within a sample. Such biological materials include fungi or other living organisms, as well as aggregates of proteins, such as enzymes, or even co-factors, using reaction mixtures well known to those in the art. The invention generally makes use of a novel article which is designed to hold a liquid sample in which chemical and/or microbiological reactants are provided. For example, such chemical reactants may be a specific growth medium for bacteria. The device used is generally in the form of an incubation plate having a multitude of wells able to hold separate aliquots of liquid. Generally, the device is designed to hold between 5 and 100 ml of liquid in total, and the wells are designed to form separate incubation chambers for each aliquot of sample. The wells can be of same size or of different size and shape to increase counting range and/or simulate dilution effects. See, Naqui et al., U.S. Ser. No. 08/201,110, filed Feb. 23, 1994, entitled xe2x80x9cApparatus and Method for Quantification of Biological Material in a Liquid Samplexe2x80x9d, incorporated by reference herein.
Thus, in a first aspect the invention features a method for detection of a biological material in a sample. The method includes the steps of liquifying the sample (if necessary) and pouring the liquified sample and reagent into the incubation plate. The incubation plate has a generally flat horizontal surface and the surface is divided into a plurality of at least 20 recessed wells. Each well is adapted to hold an aliquot of liquid and is sized and shaped, and formed of a suitable material, to hold the aliquot within the well by surface tension. Any excess liquid from the liquified sample is poured from the surface of the plate due to the hydrophobicity of the material used to form the plate. The method then involves incubating that incubation plate until the presence or absence of the biological material is determined. In a preferred embodiments the wells are chamfered to allow liquid, that is above the horizontal plane, to be poured off easily (see FIG. 3).
As noted above, the biological material that can be detected is any material that forms a discrete particle, such as a microorganism, which may be quantified by determining the presence or absence of such a biological material within each well of the incubation plate. The sample may be any biological sample or environmental sample such as waste water, food, a surface swab, or swabs from other surfaces, such as a throat, or other samples well known to those in the art. This sample may be a liquid sample, or may be dissolved in a liquid to form the liquified sample. Thus, the term xe2x80x9cliquifyingxe2x80x9d in the above paragraph refers to providing the sample in a liquid that once combined with a microbiological reagent can be rapidly aliquoted within the incubation plate. The liquidified sample may remain as a liquid or may be solidified in the wells.
The incubation plate may be formed of any desired material, but in particular it is desirable that a plastic be used which allows separate aliquots of the liquified sample to be held by surface tension within each well without cross contamination of the wells. Preferably, the material is hydrophobic. The surface can be untreated or treated chemically or physically to enhance retention of liquid witning the wells.
The shape of the incubation plate is not relevant, and in preferred embodiments is a generally circular shape (such as that of a Petri dish). Indeed, the incubation plate can be used to take the place of a Petri dish. Specifically, the method of this invention can be used to replace those existing tests that are generally run on Petri dishes to score the number of bacterial colonies. Since discrete aliquots of the sample are provided in the plate, one of ordinary skill in the art need only score the number of positive wells in the plate to define the quantity of biological material within the original sample, as with the MPN test discussed above.
The generally flat horizontal surface is designed to allow the liquid to be aliquoted readily between the wells and then excess liquid to be poured from the plate. In a preferred embodiment, a lip or pouring spout is provided for the plate. Those in the art will recognize that the depth and shape of the wells, as well as the material used to make the wells and the plate, are chosen such that surface tension can be used to hold the aliquots within each well dependent on the type of the liquid used in the liquified sample.
In other preferred embodiments, the surface defines at least 40, 60, 80 or even 200 or more recessed wells; the plate is formed of any formable plastic; a lid is also provided to prevent contamination of liquid within the wells; and the plate is provided in a sterile form so that no positive aliquots are noted unless at least one biological material particle is present in the sample.
In yet other preferred embodiments, the incubation plate is clear or colored, for example, white or yellow (to enhance the appearance of color (e.g., blue)) within the incubation plate) and the well has a diameter of about 0.15 inches, and the plate a diameter of about 3 or 5 inches.
In still other preferred embodiments, the incubation plate has a xe2x80x9cpour-off pocketxe2x80x9d adjacent to the surface of the plate. The pocket has sufficient capacity to contain the excess liquid to be removed from the plate surface. As an aid in preventing the excess fluid from spilling back onto the plate surface, it is preferable that the pocket contain an absorbent material, e.g., a gauze-like material. In a particular embodiment, the plate has both a pour-off pocket and a xe2x80x9clanding padxe2x80x9d. The xe2x80x9clanding padxe2x80x9d is described below.
In a related aspect, the invention features a sterile incubation plate having a generally fiat horizontal surface. The surface defines a plurality of at least 20 recessed wells (in preferred embodiments, at least 40, 60, 90 or even 200 recessed wells are provided) and each well is adapted as described above to hold aliquots of liquid by surface tension.
In preferred embodiments, the invention features the sterile incubation plate much as described above but having incorporated therein a xe2x80x9clanding padxe2x80x9d, which is a generally central area of the plate lacking wells, which can receive the sample prior to that sample being diluted in, for example, an incubation medium. Thus, a volume of 0.01 to 5 ml of sample liquid maybe applied in the xe2x80x9clanding padxe2x80x9d area (depending on its size and shape) and then that liquid dispensed into each well by applying the diluent and growth supporting medium (e.g., the Colilert(trademark) chemical mixtures noted above) and that liquid will simultaneously dilute the sample and allow dispersion of the sample throughout the wells.
In addition, a pour spout can be provided within the incubation plate to allow pouring off excess liquid within the plate. Such a pour spout can be matched with a suitable lid having a slit which allows liquid in the incubation plate to be poured from the incubation plate only when the slit is lined up with the pour spout, as described below.
As indicated for the method above, the incubation plate may also have a xe2x80x9cpour-off pocketxe2x80x9d adjacent to the surface of the plate. The pocket has sufficient capacity to contain the excess liquid to be removed from the plate surface, and preferably the pocket contains an absorbent material, e.g., a gauze-like material. In a particular embodiment, the plate has both a xe2x80x9cpour-off pocketxe2x80x9d and a xe2x80x9clanding padxe2x80x9d.
Applicant provides an extremely useful method which allows unskilled personnel to rapidly determine the quantity of biological material within a sample. Since the sample is readily liquified by people without significant training in microbiology, and the materials for any specific tests can be provided by the manufacturer, such people can readily perform the tests with accuracy. The incubation plate is generally provided in the sterile form so that no inappropriate detection of biological material can occur.
While it is known to provide plastic containers which can hold liquid within a plurality of recesses, applicant believes that this device provides a new automatic aliquoting method. This is an improvement over the existing products used to detect and quantify microorganisms because the liquid migrates to the individual wells without individual dispensing.
The present device can replace the use of a Petri dish and can be used particularly in food analysis and in testing of clinical samples. The separation of the wells of the present device prevents crosstalk or contamination between each aliquot. Because of this, many of the tests can be performed by observing fluorescence (which is not readily performed in an agar-containing Petri dish. The device is particularly useful when there is a large quantity of microorganisms present in a sample, such as more than one organism per one ml or per ten ml.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof, and from the claims.